


When To Change

by ForgottenChesire



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Wolf Shifter AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-11
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-03-01 00:26:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2752739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForgottenChesire/pseuds/ForgottenChesire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yeah I separated this as well, feel free to offer new titles.<br/>Bilbo doesn't understand dwarves, he just doesn't. How can they not eat seven meals a day? How can they stand not Shifting into their Second Form when they have to sleep on the ground!? Bilbo also doesn't understand what has gotten into his best friends minds that they think can follow him on a dangerous mission with FAUNTS in tow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Out Comes A Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> All right this is Changing, Discovered and Chapter 49 in one story plus whatever other chapters I think up ^u^. I also did some revising to it. ^^

Not many truly know anything about Hobbits. It's not that they purposely hide, no one ever wants to know about them. If they ever took the time they would know that while they had the initial Wolfe form that all Middle Earthlings have they have a secondary form as well. These secondary forms depend on the Hobbit themselves and are only accessible when the hobbits come of age or earlier if under extreme duress. People would also know that every time that they called Hobbits _Halflings_ said normally kind and gentle creatures were imagining their very painful death. Hobbits are not half of anything thank you very much. Another thing that outsiders would learn if they cared to look is that Hobbits don't eat seven meals a day due to just loving a good meal. Oh no, they eat that much because they have a highly active metabolism developed by years on wandering and having very little food. Then there is the interesting tidbit that Hobbits are fertile. _Very_ fertile. Even the males. It's one of the reasons there are so many of them. Hobbits can reproduce like rabbits and unless your in one of the more respectable families they don't care if you're in a same sex relationship. And one mustn't forget the Lady Yavanna and the Heart she gives them, or the Longing that pulls them along. But that is a very big secret to the Hobbits. So lets leave that alone for a bit yes? Instead lets get on with our story! A story about one Bilbo Baggins and his thirteen Dwarves.... err Dwarrows  
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Bilbo couldn't quite believe that he had ran out his darling smial to chase after thirteen Dwarves who had so rudely invaded his home, but here he is trying to fall asleep on the hard ground. Part of him wants to shed his clothes and change into his secondary form but none of the others have so he won't. He knows that they don't like him very much, he's gotten enough glares and snide 'Halfling' remarks to get _that_ drilled into his head and maybe it's a Dwarf thing not to use their secondary form to make traveling easier so he will try and copy them. Just like he's cut back on his meals, his stomach isn't happy with him not one bit. It's dangerous but maybe he'll get used to it. A heavy sigh escapes his lips, it's a lot of maybe's and they aren't even a week out of Hobbiton yet. His eyes look up at the sky, tracing constellations, trying to tire his mind out. It's not working... at all. There's a rustling in the bushes to his right and his eyes dart over to it. Staring out from the bushes are two glowing eyes, cunning honey colored eyes. There is second between him spotting those eyes and the body they belong to moving out of the bush. At the sight of the dark chocolate colored Arabian Wolf that steps out of the bush he groans then looks to make sure the Dwarf on watch hasn't spotted her, he doesn't understand the need for that since they are still _in_ the _Shire_. When he sees that Dwalin hasn't seen her he gives her a very unimpressed look.

“Really Lobelia?” he mutters softly. Lobelia huffs and looks down her muzzle at him, she's one of the few hobbit's whose secondary form is still a wolf. Most Hobbit's secondary forms are herbivores, small omnivores and birds. On the rare occasion are they carnivores. “You can't seriously be out here! What about Lotho and dear Yavanna I can just hear the rant Otho is going to spew when you.... Lobelia?”

During his rant Lobelia had looked down embarrassed and when her husband was mentioned she flinched. Oh dear. He crawls out of his bedroll and towards her. Reaching out his hand he pets her head gently, lovingly.

“What's wrong dear?”

She gives him a depressed look and the bush rustles again this time a wolf pup and a Dingo, the dingo trying to catch the wolf pup. Oh. _Oh._ He kisses her muzzle, her and Otho are no longer a couple. Disgusting really but it is Otho. He glances over at the pup and shakes his head.

“The wilds are no place for a faunt Lobelia you know that. And Hamfast really? What would Bell say? All three of you head back.”

At that Lobelia gives him a defiant look.


	2. Discovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lobelia and Hamfast are discovered. Oh dear.

Bilbo hides his head in his hands and groans softly. This is bad, so very bad. They don't have enough food to feed three extra mouths and there is no way that Lobelia will let Lotho miss even one meal. Hamfast having finally caught Lotho, who has Bofur's hat in his mouth, drags the wolf pup back to Lobeila. As gently as he can Bilbo takes Bofur's hat out of Lotho's mouth, bopping the faunt on the nose in a scolding move. Lotho doesn't seem to repentant but manages a sheepish wold look.

“You three really can't stay here,” Bilbo says his voice straining. Not only will he have Otho breathing down his neck, if Hamfast gets one scratch on him Bell will skin him alive and keep him alive as she slowly cooks him. As if sensing Bilbo's thoughts Hamfast gives him a sheepish look. Lotho finally tired of being in his Wolfe form shifts back into his faunt form, curiously looking around his wide eyes staying longer on the Dwarves weapons than Bilbo finds comfortable. The breath in Bilbo's throat catches, he knew his cousin and even his uncle on his father's side of the family was awful but the bruise he sees on Lotho's face... He looks back up at Lobelia who nods grimly, this is the main reason that she won't go back. To hit a child, Bilbo takes in a deep breath trying to calm down, is the most disgusting thing in the world. Children are precious, to be treasured and loved not hit. The only thing that comes close to hitting a child is hitting or mistreating your Heart.

“Bag End is always open for you and Hamfast, always even if I am not in it.”

His words gain him an uncomfortable dog pile and lots of licks. He grunts softly and when he looks up his eyes widen. _Oh dear._ Staring with, under any other circumstance would be hilariously, wide eyes is Dwalin. Lobelia notices his staring and growls low in her throat at the hulking Dwarf. Hafast moves over to Lotho who Changed back into his Wolfe form when he heard his mother growl and is cowering down. Dwalin's hand is on one of his hammers and Bilbo tries to stand up, Lobelia's paw on his chest is preventing that though. It brings back memories of darker and colder times before he had gotten his Second Form and had trouble shifting without the light of the full moon. When Lobelia lost enough to trigger her first Second Form change before her coming of age. He reaches out and pets Lobelia's fur.

“Shh, Belia old girl. He isn't going to hurt me,” he whispers soothingly. Lobelia grunts her eyes never leaving Dwalin but takes her paw off of him. She issues a sharp bark that wakes the Dwarves but brings Hamfast and Lotho to her side where they lay down beside Bilbo who smiles rather unconvincingly.

“It seems we have gained two hunters to our group,” he aims for light but he doesn't think he manages it if the dark glare Thorin throws at him is any indication.


	3. This Is Simply A Nightmare.... Right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo hopes no other Hobbits come tumbling out of the bushes. He doesn't think his heart can take any more. And _**he**_ isn't going to be explaining this, oh no, to Thorin Grumpy Oakensheild. Oh curses to Mados' Halls and back he thought hobbits had more sense!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Edit Note:**
> 
> It was pointed out to me that this chapter was a bit confusing in some parts so hopefully I fixed that.

Bilbo isn't entirely sure how he avoided getting yelled at, Thorin looked ready to. Maybe it was because of Lobelia snarling at Thorin, she isn't too fond of the Dwarf king for some reason, or maybe because he can see the use of have two more hunters, hunters that can feed themselves. Though when everyone else goes to sleep, Dwalin giving Lotho a second confused glance that makes Bilbo wonder if he saw Lotho Shift, Bilbo stays up. A Hobbits Second Form is like a second skin, they are in it almost as much as they are in their Hobbity form.

“Are you going to stay in this form the entire journey? Did you think any of this through Lobelia?” Bilbo asks her softly, his face pressed against her side. When changing forms one tends to lose or tear any clothing they are wearing. Lobelia may be used to the sight of naked male Hobbits but she is still a semi respectable Hobbit and that means she's grown out of the striping without a care phase as has Hamfast. The images of the Dwaves faces should the come face to face with a naked female Hobbit has Bilbo giggling haplessly. Little Lotho is still young enough not to have a care in the world and is much better about changing Forms than any of the current Hobbit elders. Though Lobelia _was_ the best out of the gang at changing at will and the first to get her Form change so maybe it's hereditary. Lobelia lets out a soft whine and licks at his face. Hamfast, once more dragging Lotho back to his mother the lad is turning into a mimi Lobelia, cuddles close. Bilbo valiantly tries to not fall for the combined wait of three cuddling, sad eyed hobbits. After all how will the _Dwarves_ react when they realize that two more _Halflings_ have joined their quest along with a fauntling? Would they be cruel to Lotho because of his parentage? Surely not, not even they would be mean to a child... right? In hopes of getting his friends to see reason he speaks.

“We only eat three meals a day, Thorin is like that always, we, well I have to ride a pony, you will have to listen to Thorin and any of the older Dwarves because they know how to survive out here, no biting them no matter how much the deserve it AND if you decide to change back you get to deal with his Majestic King Grumpiness while naked since it appears that you didn't think this through,” Bilbo tells them softly. Lobelia growls then sniffs as if to say please. And that's when two more wolf pups tumble out of the bushes, these two carrying/dragging a bag behind them. Bilbo feels his eye start to twitch when he spots the Pika riding on top of the bag. No, no, they didn't, they wouldn't... they did.

“Bell.... I thought you had more sense than this lot,” he groans softly as Hamson and Halfred abandon the bag and join Lotho. Bell chitters and he knows she's laughing at him. He is _not_ explaining this to any of the Dwarves, he decides as he pulls away from Lobelia and covers his head with his blanket. He is going to ignore this insanity and pray to the Gray Lady who is merciful in all things that this is just a nightmare. That his best friends did not leave the safety of their home to follow him on a mad quest with a dragon, which he forgot to tell them about but hey this is a nightmare, that there are not three faunts rough housing quietly beside him and if he snuggles into the soft bodies as they lay down finally giving into the call of sleep well even nightmares have good moments.


	4. Back To The Adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's clunky and slow to me. But I wanted to go somewhere Cx

In the morning Bilbo is woken up by soft snickering. He cracks open and spots Kili with his hand over his mouth in a vain attempt to quiet down the noise, obviously the one whose snickering woke him up. He grunts and tries to sit up only to discover what has Kili laughing. Last night had not been a nightmare. The three faunts, still in their Wolfe Forms are draped across him. Lotho is on his stomach, Hamson and Halfred are on his legs and Bell is asleep in the crook of his neck. Or was asleep in the crook of his neck, she is now chittering very grumpily at him as she tries to get more comfortable.Where Lobelia and Hamfast are he doesn’t know. With a groan he thunks his head back onto his bedroll. Bell, still tired and grumpy, takes pity on Bilbo and wakes the faunts up.

 _Oh to be young again_ Bilbo thinks as he watches the faunts jump awake. They are silent as they begin to play, purposely avoiding getting in the Dwarves way. Thorin gives the pups a glance a constipated look on his face but says nothing. The younger three Dwarves draw the faunts into a playful game and Bilbo puts away his bedroll, After that he goes to help Bombur with cooking breakfast. Before they can get too far Hamfast appears with two coneys in his mouth. With a happy wag of his tail he drops them at Bombur and Bilbo’s feet, then he barks quickly and the pups follow him out of the camp. Kili pouts.

“Aw why did they leave?”

“To eat, I wager,” Bilbo says handing the rabbits off to Fili so that he can clean them up. Bombur chuckles softly and Bilbo counts that as a win. In the six days that he’s been traveling with the Dwarves he’s noticed that the large red haired Dwarf is a rather quiet person, so being able to pull a laugh from him makes Bilbo grin. The rest of the morning goes rather smoothly, until the faunts come back. Let it be known that mixing fauntlings with barely adult Dwarves is like mixing Tooks and Brandybucks at a party. They get rowdy and loud which gets them yelled at by Thorin, which get Thorin snarled at by Lobelia. Bell chitters disapprovingly in his ear, he can’t tell if it’s at him or Lobelia though. It’s going to be a long adventure if those two don’t come to an understanding...

Breakfast is served and Bilbo lets himself relax a bit. Of course that’s when Lotho decides to strike. He hops up and takes Bofur’s hat, which the Dwarf keeps by his side until he’s up on a pony, and rushes off by Kili to happily chew on it. Kili laughs at Bofur’s shocked face and before even Lobelia can move, Bilbo is in front of the rascal. He bops the Wolf muzzle getting Lotho to release the hat, picks him up by the scruff of his fur and puts the pup on bedroll.

“Naughty Lotho, you don’t take others stuff,” Bilbo scolds Lotho with a frown. When he goes back to his food he notices that the Dwarves are staring at him, Dwalin has a contemplative look on his face. He ignores them and continues to eat, secretly enjoying the very undwarvishisg squeak that Ori lets out when Bell climbs up onto his hand so that he’ll give her the vegetables that he’s been not so discreetly picking out.

After that things go mostly smoothly. The only catch, the pups had a hard time keeping up with the ponies after a while, It takes some convincing but the ponies allow the pups to ride on them. The days meld together and the more he interacts with the wolves, and Bell, he can see question brewing in the younger Dwarves eyes. It’s when they stop at a ruined farm, the Wizard who had chuckled at the sight of Lobelia and Hamfast but frowned when he saw the pups storms away with a huff.

“ _He’s_ the only one with any sense!!! That dratted Wizard,” Bilbo seethes. He barely hears the boys come up behind him.


	5. Something's Wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter fought me so hard! I wanted to actually get to the trolls but no. No matter how I try to type it it won't come out and just Aug! On a note Bilbo's shift should make a show next chapter if it doesn't fight me...

“So Master Boggins. Do all Hobbits have pet wolves?” Kili asks, Ori on his right book and charcoal pencil at the ready. Bilbo blinks before chuckling.

“Baggins my dear boy, and no Hobbits do not have wolves for pets. For the most part we avoid each other.”

“But… but Lobelia!”

The wolf in question snorts, _her_ a _pet_? Please. A sharp order from Thorin have Fili and Kili scrambling off leaving Ori.

“If they’re not pets what are they?”

“Friends,” Bilbo answers truthfully. Ori hums thoughtfully and smiles at Bilbo. Out of all the Dwarves Ori and Bombur had to be the two he felt most at home with, the most comfortable with. Don’t get him wrong he adored Fili & Kili and Bofur but…

“Can you tell me more about Halflings Master Bilbo?”

Bell chitters angrily and Lobelia huffs. Being a wolf Lobelia is the one Ori watches warily making him miss Bilbo’s subtle flinch. And before this moment Ori and Bombur had also been the only one to not call him Halfling. Still Ori is young, so he pats the boys shoulder. Besides normally they wouldn’t have reacted to the insult, at least from one this young, but this place… It makes them all uncomfortable. There’s something bad here, the animals around them are quiet. How the Dwarves don’t feel it, don’t sense it, he doesn’t know.

“The term you are looking for in Westron is Hobbit. Though most of us have given up ever being called that by Big People.”

Ori jots everything Bilbo says down in his notebook, his head tilting to the side cutely. Bilbo bets Bag End that Ori’s Second Form is an Owl of some kind.

“Big People?”

“People bigger than us. Humans in Bree, Elves on their way to the Undying Lands and Dwarves that pause their journey to wherever they roam in the Shire.”  
  
The pencil flies as Ori writes, a concerned look worming it’s way onto the young lads face.

“We… we haven’t been insulting you have we?” he asks much like an insecure fauntling. Bell makes soothing sounds toward and works her way over to the ginger haired Dwarf. She hops onto him, which surprises him into almost dropping his book. While the Dwarf makes sure that Bell and his book are secure, Bilbo makes his escape. He doesn’t want to lie to the boy but at the same time he doesn’t want to hurt his feelings.

Lobelia of course follows Bilbo, ever his shadow and protector, over to Bofur. Her hackles are raised though, she can smell something wrong. It smells of death. She doesn’t like it. She wants the young ones near her and her eyes dart everywhere. Bifur noticing Lobelia’s agitation swipes a piece of meat from the stew pot to feed to her.

“If you're looking for the pups they’re with the boys, not to sure where the other fellow of yours is. But he follows Oin around a lot so he’s probably with him,” Bofur says, ladle swirling the soup around. Bilbo shakes his head.

“Just wanted to see if I can help.”

“Not yet but when the soups done you can help us give it out.”


	6. Trolls, Why Trolls?

Kili snuggles the pup that likes to chew on Bofur’s hat so much so that Bifur actually made a wooden version for the pup to chew on. He’s pretty sure that his name is Lotho and the two that have the luck to his brother’s fingers stroking their fur are Hamson and Halfred. Fili is staring out at the ponies and Kili can’t help but to stare. It’s wrong if you listen to the Men talk to love not only another man but your brother on top of that. One would think that love is love, with a few exceptions. He’s heard of monsters that prey on children, if you actually love a child you will wait for them to reach maturity and not ruin their innocence. He shakes his head dispelling those thoughts from it. What did it matter when Fili probably didn’t feel the same. Lotho nuzzles his face into his chest a low whine coming from his throat. The other two pups whine as well.

“Kili….”

“Yeah?”

“We have a problem….”

“What?!”

“Count the ponies.”

Kili stands making sure that Lotho is standing steadily before moving. He counts the ponies and his stomach sinks. _Oh no._ They stare at the pen that held the ponies with growing dread, ignoring how the pups are now whining louder. In fact they barely hear Bilbo talking to them but they manage to get their problem out.  
\-----------------------------------------

_Hoot once like one owl and twice like a different on. I swear those two are worse than any Took except maybe Paladin and Esmeralda. **Trolls.**_ Walking up to the pen he surveys the knot. Not something he can simply untie and he doubts that he can chew through the ropes. He notices a knife resting on the the hip of one of the trolls. He makes his way over to the troll, trying very hard to ignore the stench and the talk. He’s barely got the knife when a large hand picks him up. Panicking he lets his Second Form take over and he slips out of the trolls fingers.

His fur is a chestnut color much like his hair, his ears are large and great for hearing. When they were younger it was Bilbo’s job to do the sneaking and scouting. Lobelia was their heavy hitter and protector and Hamfast their healer and lookout. For a Fennec Fox his paws are a bit large but he is still stealthy as attempts to sneak away. He plans on waiting for the troll to calm down from his sneezing only he doesn’t get that far.  
A loud pain squeak escapes his lips as thick fingers pick him up.

“Wot’s this? It’s so tiny,” the troll speaks, his loud voice hurting Bilbo’s ears. He whines unable to move, the tight grip not letting him Change again either. The troll yelps and drops him and before he can blink he’s getting picked up and carried away.

Once back on the ground he gives Hamfast a thankful lick especially when he sees his clothes, even if they are covered in troll snot. Changing he gets back in his clothes. Using the sudden appearance of Dwarves to snag the knife and cut the ponies free. Of course that is when he gets, once again, grabbed by too large hands.

**Author's Note:**

> Bilbo, Hamfast and Lobelia are the same age. Bell is a year younger. Lotho is like five or six, which makes Hamson and Halfred five or four because they are now twins and canonly Hamson is a year younger than Lotho. Oh Otho is an ass who should be eaten by a Troll.


End file.
